Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Snow Drill

As the snowfall reached blizzard-like conditions outside, we had a severe weather drill inside the office. And why not? Seems like a perfect time to do a drill. Initially, some people were unsure - do we need to go outside? Should we go back to our desks to get our coats?

I was in a meeting on the fourth floor. When the announcement came over the PA system, along with everyone else, I walked slowly down to the ground floor into the sheltered area. The atmosphere was a mix of bemusement and annoyance as everyone gathered in the designated assembly points and chatted with those nearby. I think everyone welcomes a break, but maybe not for an emergency drill.

The drill was over pretty quickly and we were told to return to work. I sat in a corner to avoid the crowds and started to climb back up the stairs after everyone else in my assembly area had gone up.

Here, the Emergency Response Team members re-open the metal shutters that had covered the windows during the drill. They're using a special tool that cranks the shutters up or down through a mechanism in the ceiling.